Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-08-26
Heavily Laden Excursion Train
Crashes Through a Charred
Bridge in the Night.
j, Wreck Takes Fire and Is Extin.
guished After a Desper.
ate Fight.
Forest (nl.) specisl.i

he train consisted Of engines 81 and 49, a
seepers. Two and half miles east Of
stswortl,. q small village about seven miles
Of Forest. there Is q small culvert or
lii. 1t is about fourteen feet wide and thir-
5 feet deep, The bridge over this culvert
| weather of past weeks had mode it dry
tinder. Wednesday. night the supports
4 sht fire and slowly burned until the
Ire bridge rested on the charred rem
\ Is of the tinlbers. When the train came
d engineer that the bridge was death trap
: the speed of the train was not slackened.
had stenmed slowly cut Of Chatsworth at
10 o'clock, but striking gentle down grade
Ne at o rate of forty miles an hour.
HURLED INTO THE CHAsM.
hen the first engine struck the bridge there
cracking of timbers, and the engine
pped. The leading engine was not thrown
its ste tender with it. The next engine dIopp uN
the chasnl. and then the train rushed on
d and was piled in O heap, with the excep-
! Of the Shoppers. which escaped without q
6ch.
ed was frightful. There were about seven
hdred people on the train, and Of these fully
{-half were in tho coaches that now lay in q
e mass. Ten cars filled with dead and dy-
people wero iammed into space Of two
length.
HORRIBLY CRUSHED AND MANoLEp.
he six coaches were telesc0ped in the most
rbe msnner, and the occupants were SIM
crushed and mangled almost out Of all
rblauce to human beings. Thirty-nine Ia
were taken out from the end Of one of the
When the crash came they were swept
their seats by the rear car bursting in on
I'm and crushed to death in the further end
lie car.
/ soon ns tho survivors recovered from the
kul shock train hand ran back to Chats
It'll for help The news Of the awful disas-
spread quickly and in short time hun
ds of people from Forest, Chatsworth, Piper
i, Gilman. and the surrounding country
ta on the spot assisting in tho work OF res.
The remnants Of the bridge. which was
burning. received the first attention.
TER was brought from farmers houses near
snd the flames extiagulshed. None OF the
caught IRE, otherwise the herrors of q
Ecaust would have been added to an..already
|htful disaster. Attention was then turned
ch was the awful momentum Of the train
three Of tho coaches were not only tele-
I'D, but piled ON top Of each other. The
r cars had relied off the track after tele-
side OF the culvert. In the midst OF this
I'll mass of broken cars hundreds of human
bgs were intombed. One woman with her
" in her arms was thrown half the length
tue car aud killed: The baby was
togesSor rs er5 e e1asssd w " pa s
y were from Peoria. Conductor Still
escaped with q few injuries about
body.
man named Goodall butcher from Peoria,
caught between two cars and his lower
bs crushed.
or Gods sake save me-" he cried to the
l sr J.. III give sloo to any one who will
ut it was impossible. His body could not
(e been got out without chopping it out, and
poor fellow died few minutes later His
is thought to have been killed.
sHRIEKlNG OUT OF THE DARKNESS.
8 fast as possible the work Of release was
secuted, but about 80 o'clock it began to
black darkness which was family iJlum-
by lanterns and pierced by the awful
Is and groans OF tho dying, injured, ard inn
Foned, was now Joined by the elements, and
.,Ip pouring rain. lightning, and the roar
'e tlln made q scene that would ap-
taken out with both legs broken was
Pied into q cornfield near by and laid
N, he yelled with pain for time, but On
later it was found that he had killed him
ny blowing his brains out. Tho terrible
(ltement and pain had probably driven him
fast us the victims were rescued they
placed side by side in the cornfield north
le track. BY daylight sixty-tive bodies
lying side by side. silent monuments to
fsie e The majority of the dead are
ps!a people. Tho train contained US people
~ reorla city and county, and of this num-
~ least iorty-one were killed.
STORIES OF SURVIVORS,.
4. j.. NJ. Tennery. Of Peoria, was in the first
yer .t' and said: Il felt three distinct shocks
n men heard a grinding sound. and on look
o1t saw that the car in which we were was
e ~ over the fire. which was slowly blazing
.ue strlngers OF the bridge. 1 got out in
w. w. ana the scene presented 10 the eye and
was one wish could forever etface from
s ess { Of the dying and the glazing faces of
teau VIII always stay with me. To add to
oiior IL was pitch dark save for the ftful
~ 81, o. the fra under the sleeper,
" W ,i,gnted the faces Of those about only to
~ A. sheir fear and anguish visible. On the
o,a sc, q most of the corpses could be seen
s,+ Hnlch showed that they died in agony.
~, We secured some feeble lights, but the
ra Siew ~ them out, and about o'clock the rain
d iG enS gown in torrents on the unprotected
ny NY TO 70 put out the fire and rescuing the
osa WHOSE cries fer help were heartrending,
't inv mothers ran wildly about cry
as.o lost children and wives for hus-
s,;se OF their beloved wives. Prayers, en-
En- r.i ui!a groans filled the air until daylight.
da ne,iei parties got to work and removed
ly YOU n ana wounded from tho scene. The
To Mas On fire before the train struck"
uor ~iroen, who was one OF the fortunate ones
sthnuts berth in next to the last sleeper,
Al NC, 10 put out the fire no water was to be
c1nia wen" !, to work with will with such tools
by o,, % found on the cars to further de-
Il U uu, Tear away all the woodwork pos
cloti NM WITH dirt, weeds, dry grass, coats,
swsannas IN TACT anything that would act
flDa :. .i against the fierce flames. After
IT. - esle the fire was put out.
reaHnauaiti, on passing one Of the coaches,
abe 'N M,s!a, For Gods sake take my child,
it in "n a ae Immediately did, and, leav-
BIT i in Us J., safe Il place as could be found,
b, NJ the car aud found the mother,
s nenl, OF Mossyille, just dead.
ID d S1ehe in the cars was be-
I'D fsssscrlption. One young child was
kn wI"nhea near the roof Of the car head
h thro,a'e IN the jar and conclusion it had
hers W. Il, and was dead when taken down.
sers .u found in oil conceivable shapes,
Is Of AT own OIL their seats and piled in the
Ehes ~ ,a'e alsles Of the cars, bleeding from
BODY ;" ne lace, arms, or other portions OF
kenln, =, ~ was, Mr.. Falvorth says, the most
Hllint1, SHtsnt he ever witnessed.
wss thra Ems one Of the badly injured, says
ansd WI U"n Tour or five seats forward and
hd oths ama when he recovered himself he
sshed 80 iylng upon him. His watch was
opin;n,u' a ~ mad stopped at 1913. He is Of
hgers aro snat the bridge was set on fire by
uder tha ' y there whose I.iotive it was to
ueGa, Us he saw some Of these sus-